Let’s step back in time, back to ancient Rome in the year 65 AD. We wander the city in search of one of several prisons, searching for one specific prisoner, the Apostle Paul. He has been imprisoned before for his faith, yet always released. However, this time it doesn’t look like he will be released, as Emperor Nero has ordered Christians to be executed. Paul is held prisoner in the Mamertine Prison, in a dark, damp, underground prison cell, chained to the wall. Each time he hears footsteps approaching, he doesn’t know if they come to lead him out to his impending execution. While waiting, Paul writes one last letter to his son in the faith, Timothy. Now that we are in the last chapter of that letter, we read his final words, his final testimony, and of his unwavering confidence in the Lord Jesus.
As we begin these final words of the Apostle Paul, we see that he knows that this is it, he won’t be leaving this prison alive (vs. 6). He looks at his life as an offering to God, poured out in service to the Lord Jesus. Paul wasn’t in a panic. He viewed death not as a defeat, but as a departure. Since the day of his conversion on the road to Damascus, some thirty or so years earlier, he had lived his life ready at all times to meet the Savior. We, too, should live with readiness to meet the Lord. We can face death with peace when our lives have been lived in obedience and faithfulness.
Paul looked back on his life of faith, and could testify that he had done all he could for the Lord (vs. 7). His life was marked by spiritual warfare against the enemies of the Lord. He had endured much hardship, but had finished the race God had set for him, and had kept the faith, not veering off into false doctrine. The Christian life is not passive. It is a fight, a race, and a stewardship. We must guard the truth and persevere. Keep a strong grip on Jesus, and then we can finish the race. Keep the faith, and fight the good fight. We can trust God to faithfully keep us.
Following Jesus is not easy, but there is a great reward for living righteously when facing temptation or hardship, the crown of righteousness. Believers who pursue godliness and greatly desire Jesus’ return can look forward to that, and the life to come. When we truly love Jesus’ return it will purify our walk (I John 3:2-3). This verse rebukes worldly-mindedness, and encourages eternal perspectives. God is a righteous Judge. He sees and rewards faithfulness, even when others do not.
Paul then confided to Timothy a little of what happened at his trial, how those he might have counted on to defend him all deserted him and fled (vs. 16). Paul was abandoned, which is a reminder that human support can fail, but God never does. Faithfulness may mean standing alone. Are we willing to stand for truth even if forsaken by friends or family?
Though friends or family may leave us, Jesus never abandons us. He is faithful, and will never leave us (vs. 17). Paul knew that he wasn’t really alone, as he acknowledged that Jesus was with him when everyone else fled (Hebrews 13:5-6). Paul’s ultimate desire at his trial was not for his acquittal, but that the Gospel might be proclaimed. In our trials, we must lean on the Lord’s strength, just as Paul did. God will enable us to fulfill our calling, even when others fail us.
Paul’s final words here were not a promise of physical escape, but of spiritual preservation (vs. 18). Paul expected martyrdom, yet he was still confident in eternal deliverance. The knowledge that God is greater than anything Paul would ever face helped him to go through all the trials, imprisonments, beatings, torture, and confidently face his future. God may not spare us from suffering, but He will preserve us from spiritual ruin, and bring us safely to heaven. Paul ended with worship, which should remind us that all trials should lead to praise.
As we look back at Paul’s final words and testimony we see that God will reward those who finish well, so we need to make sure to keep on the course and guard the truth. God will never forsake His children. Others likely may, but we can trust Him when they fail us. There is a crown that awaits all those that eagerly await Jesus’ return. This should encourage us to be living for eternity, and not for this present time. In every season of life, whether in good times, in trials, or in persecutions, we need to always glorify God.
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